18 Sep Meet: Patti Clarke, Chief Talent Officer at Havas
Patti Clarke, formerly Patti Clifford, is the chief talent officer of Havas. Previously, she ran her own consulting business and had a 20-year career at Dun & Bradstreet, where she held a variety of leadership roles, the last nine of which she was the SVP & global chief human resources officer.
At Havas, Patti oversees all aspects of human resources, with a specific focus on driving talent management and development. In a recent sit-down with Patti, she described her role: “I get up every day and think about how we can positively impact more employees—making their experience at Havas a good one. Our focus is to continue to develop innovative and impactful global talent initiatives, while also ensuring that our leaders are taking action locally to focus on employee engagement.”
Read more from our chat below.
The Mag: What workplace issue are you most passionate about right now?
PC: Helping our leaders be better people leaders. If they’re more confident, more insightful, and more accomplished as people leaders, there’s a lot they can do to make a difference for their employees and the environment they foster each day. It’s something I feel strongly we have to keep working on. And it takes time.Leaders have to practice and try new things with their teams in order find what works best. At the end of the day, most of it comes down to communication. If the communication levels are robust and transparent, you’ll have better engagement and fewer issues.
The Mag: What’s the one workplace/culture issue every company should be tackling right now?
PC: I’d say the issue of bias—both conscious and unconscious. We have to at least be able to take a look in the mirror and say, “It’s all of our problem.” And, while our industry right now has had a lot of focus on gender diversity, it’s really about taking a broader perspective. It’s not just a workplace issue; it’s really a world issue. Obviously, an increase in awareness, understanding, appreciation, and—dare I say—celebration of the differences between all of us goes a long way.
The Mag: You’ve launched two innovative employee experiences—Havas Lofts and Havas NextGen. How do they help us be better at our jobs and do better work for clients?
PC: Lofts is a four-week global learning experience designed to build global skill sets, expand cultural awareness, and enhance leadership competencies, and NextGen is our high potential leadership development program which comprises three week-long immersive learning modules that take place over the course of a year—each in a different country. The participants in these programs tell us over and over again that they gain so much by spending time with others from the network. We also hear a lot of great stories about how what they learn in these programs gets leveraged when they are back in their home offices—whether it be a tool, a process, or a connection to someone with a unique skill. These programs are creating a more global and connected workforce at Havas, which certainly benefits our clients. This fall, in partnership with local HR teams, we will be launching a regional approach to Lofts that will continue to expand the exposure our employees receive to the network.
The Mag: Through these global talent initiatives, what have you learned about Havas that you’d like to share with every employee?
PC: It’s truly a family network; people care about each other and really want to connect with each other. And they take great pride in the work they do. It’s a distinct advantage we have going on here. And that’s why I’m passionate about making this a great place for our people to work.
The Mag: What insights have you gleaned from visiting the world in your role and in your life?
PC: Travel has made me a better global citizen. My role affords me the opportunity to be with people in different countries, and as a result, I’m always having incredible learning experiences about the different dimensions of people and cultures. In my travels to date, I’ve seen that there is a common spirit and amazing fortitude among people. And that’s very inspirational to me.
The Mag: Obviously the Olympics are happening right now. What inspires you about this global event?
PC: The competition is exhilarating, but probably what’s most inspiring is that for a few weeks people from all walks of life come together with a common vision and a commitment to achieving their best. And, just like our Villages, in the Olympic Village, people with different backgrounds and skill sets connect, share, and learn from one another.
The Mag: How is Havas making sure that it’s reaching all employees with our talent initiatives?
PC: The commitment to our employees has to take root at every level of the organization. Celine Merle-Beral (CHRO at Havas Media), and I are fortunate to have great support from the senior leadership team, and our approach is one that is both global and local. The global talent team is focusing on programs and initiatives that are delivered across the network, and our wonderful local HR/talent professionals are focusing on direct support of their business partners and teams. The manager, however, is a key player. Ultimately, they are responsible for creating an environment on their team that is motivating for their employees. We do see managers getting more engaged and taking more action. We’re making good progress, but we still have work to do.
The Mag: As the world changes so quickly, what are the three most important skills/traits companies should be looking for?
PC: I think agility is really important given the pace of change and how fast things happen in a digital world—you need employees who can easily deal with all of that and stay ahead. Second, I’d say people who can ideate but are also able to see things through to execution. This is sometimes a hard combination to find. Finally, I’d say data analytic skills are more and more in demand. People who can analyze data—and determine the meaningful insights coming out of it—are increasingly valuable.
The Mag: What does it take today in this world to keep an employee happy and engaged? What trends have you noticed?
PC: There’s definitely a trend in individualism and personalization. There’s no one size fits all. It’s really different depending on the employee. That’s where the role of the leader comes in. Communication is critical. Leaders need to take the time to understand their people.. You could have someone who is an absolute star, but if you haven’t engaged with them in a meaningful way around their personal goals and objectives, you may be putting them at risk every day. Ultimately, it comes down to understanding the basic needs of employees, which haven’t changed much over the years: Is the work I’m doing interesting? Is the environment one that I enjoy going to every day? Do I feel like I’m growing? Can I trust you?
The Mag: What can employees be doing to make sure that they’re being heard and understood?
PC: They should ask for some “me” time with their manager every month to talk about what’s working, what’s not, and where they may need help. Managers aren’t mind readers, and quite often, they get tied up in things going on in the business, so proactivity from employees in terms of what’s on their minds is important. In turn, managers need to encourage and support these types of dialogues. It’s really a shared responsibility.
The Mag: You’ve had an incredibly successful career. What advice do you have for younger professionals?
PC: First, think about your career as chapters. I like to tell recent graduates to focus on solving for the first chapter rather than for the entire career. With some experience, you’ll start to figure out what you want from your career. Next, it’s important to have a narrative on yourself that you can easily share—what’s your story and what do you have to offer? A lot of people don’t have a succinct statement on themselves and what they’ve achieved. Maintaining relationships with mentors, coaches, and teammates is super important. You’ll want to leverage them for advice and counsel, but if you haven’t kept up with them, it can be awkward to reach out. The final thing is that you need to be in control of your own career—don’t expect someone else to own it for you. You have to be the driver.
The Mag: You were a single mother of two through the bulk of your career. What advice do you have for single mothers?
PC: I became a single mom when my boys were six and nine. They’re now nineteen and twenty-two. Like most mothers, I really wanted to do everything for my kids, but I learned early on that I really needed to prioritize. One of my mentors shared with me the lesson of focusing on what you “need” to do rather than what you’d like to do. So I had to let go of a lot of the “nice to do’s” like attending work social events during the week, being the best cook, or even making homemade Halloween costumes. My focus was on getting home for dinner and having one-on-one time with each of the boys. There were a lot of trade-offs, but in the end, the choices I made were more important and meaningful to my boys. Bottom line: If you’re a working mother, you will most likely have to make some choices. If you’re a single working mother, you’re making even more disciplined choices. As long as you are thoughtful about it and not too hard on yourself, things have a way of working out.
The Mag: On a related note, we heard some very exciting news about you…
PC: [Laughs.] Yes. I recently got married and changed my last name. So, if you’re looking for me in the Lotus Notes directory, I’m still in the C’s—you’ll just need to make the slight adjustment from Clifford to Clarke.